Entangled Whale Rescued in Los Cabos

Every winter, thousands of whales make their long annual migration from cold Arctic waters to the warm lagoons of the Sea of Cortez. Every so often, an unfortunate whale can run into trouble along the way. Fortunately, sometimes the story has a happy ending.

That was the case on February 8th, when calls came in to the team of Cabo Expeditions, a local Los Cabos eco tour provider. Fishermen and other local whale watching boats reported sighting a male humpback whale entangled in a large fishing net and in obvious distress. With a track record of assisting and rescuing troubled whales, Cabo Expeditions is widely recognized for their conservation efforts and expertise. The SCUBA diving team, boat captain and marine biologists on staff prepared themselves for an underwater intervention and the Mexican Navy was contacted to assist with the rescue.

Footage from the underwater rescue:

The whale, weighing in at approximately 35 tons and a length of 40 feet, was wrapped from torso to tail in netting. The dramatic rescue, with a coordinated team of divers working underwater to disentangle the whale,  succeeded in releasing this magnificent creature about 1 1/2 miles offshore. Oscar Ortiz, owner of Cabo Expeditions, says, “Over the last 7 years now, we have been prepared as a company internally to help save and ultimately rescue whales. Thankfully, we have also been blessed by saving a total of 10 whales’ lives. The protection and preservation of these amazing animals is both our passion and mission in Los Cabos.”

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